Police identified the dead man as 25-year-old Jamail Johnson of nearby Girard, Ohio. Johnson was shot once in the back of the head and several times in the lower body, Dr. Joseph Ohr, a forensic pathologist at the Mahoning County Coroner's Office, told CNN.

Police have notified Johnson's family, Hughes said.

Ohio Governor John Kasich issued a statement saying he was "shocked and saddened" by the shooting and has offered state resources to the university and law enforcement.

"I join all Ohioans in expressing my deepest sympathy to the victims, their families and to the entire university community," Kasich said.

The shooting happened at an off-campus house where members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity were holding a party, Hughes said.

Police, called at 3:39 a.m., said shots were fired "indiscriminately" from outside the house. Authorities found multiple shell casings from two semiautomatic handguns, one a .40-caliber and the other a .45-caliber, Hughes said.

He expects to have arrest warrants for two suspects issued by the end of the day and "hopefully, we'll have them in custody soon after that," Hughes said.

Witnesses identified two possible suspects, both with ties to the area, he said.

"There were some unhappy guests. People at the party recognized them. Two of them were ejected," the chief said, adding they are not believed to be students.

The two who were ejected returned and "started lighting up the place," Hughes said.

Three of the victims are 17 and the oldest is 31, Hughes said. Three others are 19 and four are 20.

University spokesman Ron Cole said there was no threat to the campus, but campus police have stepped up their presence "as a precaution."

Youngstown is about 75 miles southeast of Cleveland.

Johnson's friends described him Sunday as a nice person who didn't get into trouble.

"He wasn't the person that you had to be worried about when you went out," said David Oliveira, who isn't a student at Youngstown but who knew Johnson from his hometown. "He wasn't the type of guy to get into conflicts."

James Baker, who attended Youngstown last spring, said Johnson was a "real good dude" who was going to graduate this spring.

"He had goals. He had plans to open up a business," Baker told CNN, adding Johnson was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I'm hurting for him right now," Baker said. "I'm just surprised he had to be the one in the crossfire."

Hughes said the shooting is a surprise.

"It's sad because young people here are trying to turn around a lot of things," he said. "That campus is a bright shining star."